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On Naperville's health care debate

On Naperville's health care debate

The Daily Herald's front page story, April 13, on whether Naperville's City Council members should receive health care benefits highlighted two polar opposite views.

Council member Paul Hinterlong made the salient point that other city employees work longer hours per week than council members and do not receive health care benefits so why should taxpayers foot the council's health care costs? Council member David Wentz, an attorney, countered: "We've crossed this bridge before and I question why we need to revisit this. I defend the right to have health care."

In the 2012 presidential campaign the Obama Machine trotted out Sandra Fluke, a 30-year-old Georgetown Law School candidate, as a keynote convention speaker no doubt, to champion her "right" for birth control and that insurance plans should be required to have a contraceptive mandate.

Public Defined Benefit plan enrollees claim their "right" to retire, often at ages as low as 50, and receive guaranteed payments, with cost-of-living increases, for the rest of their lives. Nowhere in the Bill of "Rights" do I see: Pay for my birth control, contribute tax dollars to help me pay for my health care costs in my part-time government position, or give me a monthly check for the rest of my life.

As a practicing attorney you would think Mr. Wentz would have a clearer understanding of what is stated in the Constitution and the Bill of "Rights." I also believe Mr. Wentz is not fully disclosing his true fears of being jettisoned from the city's health care plan. Is insurance not available through his law firm?

If Mr. Wentz supports the Affordable Care Act, why not just jump into that fine program? If he leans right politically, he should favor smaller government and take care of things himself.

R.A. Carlson

Naperville

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